Ten Year Anniversary
by Melkor44
Summary: Following the good ending for Lilly's route, Hisao and Lilly both become teachers at Yamaku...but what happens with the rest of the girls? Hisao finds out with the class reunion after ten years. (Oneshot)


It's been a long while. We've all kept in touch (or, at least, I've certainly tried to keep in touch with all of them,) and I haven't seen some of them in a little more than ten years. It's actually kind of amazing; before leaving Yamaku, I wouldn't have been able to imagine being separated from these people for so long...even the ones who I didn't regularly hang out with, like Emi and Rin, were still present in my mind when I went here as a student. It's pretty weird to realize that I haven't seen these people in so long, and haven't done a particularly great job of keeping up with most of them. The only ones I've really bothered to constantly stay in touch with, Hanako and (surprisingly) Rin, have been pretty busy.

* * *

Hanako managed to become a journalist in Tokyo, and quickly became one of their best columnists. From there, she worked her way up to become the owner of several different magazines and even a publishing company; it's quite a feat, especially considering what she was like when I first met her. I almost can't believe it, except that we've stayed in contact more than any of my other friends. (Minus Lilly, of course.)

Hanako actually ended up getting married to an American man, named James, just a few years after we graduated. From what she's said to me, and Lilly, he's actually even more scarred than she is; his body, from below the base of his neck, has virtually no millimeter left untouched by a surgeon's knife...which is kind of shocking. He also used to be a martial artist, but something about metal bones has prevented him from picking it back up again; it's a real shame. When we talk, he's actually a really nice guy. His honorable nature is one of the first things that I notice, followed by a not-quite-perfect grasp of Japanese that makes it clear that he's still a little uncomfortable with the language.

When he learns that I can speak English with relative ease, and Lilly is fluent, he breathes a little easier. He's a kind man, and very gentle with Hanako; though his voice can unintentionally rise, it's never enough to reach "Misha" levels. Though he can fit right into a social situation like this, he's very obviously a quiet person by choice. An author, as well, which makes it easy for Hanako to find good books to read...he apparently detests most of his novels and poems, only liking one or two of them, but Hanako seems to love them. When I ask him if I can buy a copy of his series, he actually takes them out of a bag he brought with them and gives them to me.

Something about always being there for Hanako, he says. How I was one of the deciding factors of getting her to open up and experience the world. Free of charge. As much as I was willing to pay, I'm not one to turn down free books. On asking if he has a Braille set for Lilly, he frowns; apologizing for it, saying he doesn't, he promises that he'll have them shipped to wherever we live.

Noble and generous. Were I to phrase it with an American term, I'd likely call him "a true Southern gentleman."

* * *

Rin is cool as ice, spacey as always. She's just gotten back from some art show or another in Europe; I'll have to ask her about it later, when it's not so crowded or loud. She's gotten very famous, from what Nomiya tells me when we pass one another every so often. One series of her paintings, _Friendship_, depicts me, Emi, Lilly, Hanako, Shizune or Misha in various poses...which is interesting, to say the least. I never would have thought that she considered those last three as friends, given that Hanako never talked much to her (to my knowledge) and Shizune was always yelling at her through Misha.

"It is what it is. Art is art, and it defines itself."

She gets philosophical on me pretty quickly when I ask her about it.

"We were never enemies, and we knew one another...so I guess, in my mind, it makes us friends."

That makes sense, in a Rin sort of way. Having watched Rin paint before, it definitely seems like the Rin-est a statement could get; it's weird, but at the same time it somehow makes total sense.

"So did you manage not to collapse this time?" I tease.

"This time."

I laugh, and she gives a sort of soft half-grin at me.

"I would have given an arm and a leg for this kind of friendship with people in high school." I say, since Emi is getting close to us. She huffs, starting to look a lot like a kicked puppy.

"Yes, the Elric brothers say hi." She shoots it right back, obviously a little hurt, using an anime reference that I actually understand.

Emi's been doing very well, which is nice. She's training for the Olympics, the kind that you see people like Usain Bolt in. "Normal" people...which means that she's going to have a lot of tough competition. I believe in her, though; she's the fastest thing on no legs, whose racing records haven't been broken in the decade since we graduated. When you think about that, it's actually kind of phenomenal. She's only gotten stronger and faster as time's gone on, clearly, and she's still just as ready to take on the world as she ever was.

It's good to know that my friends are going places, even though I'm perfectly content to stay here at Yamaku as a science teacher.

* * *

The last people we meet up with are Shizune and Misha, looking just as they ever have. It's nice to see that as much as things can change, as they most certainly have, some things will always stay the same.

Shizune has apparently taken over her father's company, with Hideaki working directly beneath her; their father died of a heart attack two or three years ago, from what I gather. From everything that Lilly's told me about her uncle, it doesn't seem like his death is too great of a loss for anyone. Personally, I'm glad that I never had to meet the man. By all accounts, he's not someone that I would have gotten along with very well.

The big shock is that Misha got her wish: to be a sign language teacher. She went to America to learn how, and managed to do so well that she passed; I wish I could say that I wasn't surprised, but Misha's work ethic hasn't ever seemed like it's been that great. Sure, she works well when she's with Shizune, but I wouldn't have thought that she might do so well without her best friend by her side.

I notice their ring fingers, but don't say anything. That's for them to..."say" is a bad word for it. If, or when, they want to bring it up, that's their business rather than mine. I do give Misha a knowing smile, though, because it's hard not to be glad for a friend who truly has everything that they've ever wanted.

* * *

Our group of eight has gone up to the roof to watch (or hear, in Lilly's case) the fireworks go off. James is hugging Hanako, who looks like she should be crushing his guts with how tightly she's gripping him, but he doesn't give any sign that he feels the pain at all. Shizune and Misha are hanging back, looking up and holding hands. Their smiles are bigger than any that I've seen either of them give. Emi and Rin sit together, both of them smiling, and I can't help but think that Rin's sincere smile is probably the most downright creepy thing I've ever borne witness to. The other one might be a drunk Akira trying to make a pass at me...but it's a close call either way.

That just leaves Lilly and myself. She's sitting in my lap, and I'm hugging her from behind, and it's really comfortable. Her head is lolling back, onto my shoulder, and I can tell that she's getting sleepy.

How is it possible to sleep when there's explosions going on in the sky above you? Maybe she's just that gifted when it comes to tuning things out...or maybe she's faking, hoping to turn this late night into an even later one. I wouldn't be too surprised, and it's certainly not the first time that things have happened that way.

"How do they look?"

The question is breathed directly into my ear, and I shiver. It's like she's getting off on my curiosity over whether or not she's awake.

"Your breasts, or the fireworks?"

She punches me playfully, knowing that she should've "seen" that one coming. I've done things like that before, and the blush on her cheeks is evidence that my joke is having its desired effect.

"The fireworks, you ass."

"Rats." I say. "Here I was trying to tell you just how beautiful you are."

"You say that every day, Hisao."

"Then you should know that it's true...but the fireworks, huh? They're alright."

"What do you mean, 'alright?' How aren't they amazing?"

I take a few minutes to think about what to say before the thought comes to me.

"Because you being here with me makes them seem insignificant by comparison. It's like...they're not bad, but they could certainly do with looking more like you."

The line is pretty cheesy, I'll admit it, but it's certainly fun to watch her smile and blush even harder than she already was. We know that it's time to go when the fireworks stop shooting off, and I do what needs to be done; saying goodbyes has never been a particularly strong suit of mine, and it's somehow painful for me to say the farewell to each of my friends again even though it's kind of my fault for not keeping in such good touch with them. I'm actually a little annoyed at how poor a friend I've been to some of them...but, still, the process of promising to meet again must go on. Hanako and James stay with us for a little while, but eventually even they need to start heading out.

All in all, it was a fun way to meet my friends again. I've got to make sure that I keep better contact with them from now on.


End file.
